Mason Wheeler

I got into Skyward just fine, but the second one was a disappointment. The "big twist" that was obvious from the very beginning of the book even if you hadn't guessed it already from the end of the last one, and the confrontation with the scary aliens at the end was the exact same resolution we already got at the end of Calamity. So I was like, "we put off The Lost Metal for two years for this?!?" And now it's looking like it could well be another two years! And The Lost Metal is the #1 highest-priority book I want to see from him. After the scene at the end of Bands of Mourning left us all in anticipation, I wanted to see that even more than Rhythm of War! And now it seems to be behind everything in terms of priorities. That just... really bugs me.

Argh! Why? We've been waiting way too long for The Lost Metal already (remember, two Stormlight books have come out since we got Bands of Mourning!) because Starsight displaced the time Brandon would have worked on it... and now that RoW is over, next on deck is yet another Skyward book?!?

More support for my theory that the cause of the Deadeye phenomenon was analogous to the fall of Elantris. On the other hand... "the Heralds are insane. Never trust anything any Herald says."

Probably looks just like Returned reproduction.

The "red chicken" was owned by a Feruchemist who was keeping an eye on Dalinar's household. Syl found Kaladin through his Connection to Tien, because Tien attracted a spren first. Renarin has a crush on someone, and the identity of who it is isn't meant to be particularly hidden or tricky. Confirmation that deadeyes were not a thing that happened before the Recreance, and that the way the deadeye phenomenon started is similar to something else we've seen in the Cosmere. (Can't help but wonder if this is referring to the change that precipitated the fall of Elantris?) Different types of investiture are extremely fungible, and basically any type could be used to power any magic system. This is the primary reason why Thaidakar is interested in Stormlight: it's extremely easy to obtain, and if he could successfully export it from Roshar he could use it to run other magics with. Rosharans would use the term "Surgebinding" to refer to any magic system. Allomancy, for example, would be considered binding the Surges (forces) of the world to the allomancer's will. Many others, including Khriss, would disagree and claim that Surgebinding only means the Radiant magics. (This raises an interesting question: when people on Roshar say that Ashyn was destroyed by unmoderated "surgebinding," what exactly does that mean?) Tien's spren did not become a Deadeye when TIen died, because Tien did not break any oaths. (Never clarified: had Tien actually taken any yet, or was the spren just hanging around him much like Syl was with Kaladin for a long time?) Anyone else catch anything interesting?

I seem to recall that we have a WoB that Lift will be one of the back 5 focus characters. I can't really see her ascending to Shardhood at any point before that book, at the very least, and honestly probably not even then. She's a really bad fit for the power of Cultivation.

It's been... One year since you looked at me, figured out that I'm not so trustworthy. Two weeks since I turned on you. I swear that I was just doing what I had to. One day since you think I died. Boy won't you be shocked at what I now hold inside! And now I have so much to do. It's gonna be nine days till the truth is made known to you. Go ahead and train your powers, train for days and hours, you'll never get to five oaths in time. Talk to Ishar but he won't help you, he thinks you're on my side, it will be delicious when you lose and then you will be mine. I have power to save everyone, in the whole Cosmere, because I'm full of plots and schemes. You think honor should bind men, you try to match wits, you try to hold me but I bust through. I see that loophole Rayse overlooked, now I will win by hook or crook, I want to show you my philosophy is stronger! Gotta see the show, 'cause then you'll know the Bondsmith has to let me go, then when you are my Fused, you'll live on so much longer! Can I help it if I think that you are too naive? trying hard not to smile when I see you grieve. I'm the kind of guy who engineers a funeral for a few to save the rest, and now I shall for the greater whole! I have a history of scheming with my Diagram, I have the power now to take it so much further! t's been one week since you looked at me, asked me why I would turn on you so flagrantly. Three days since Szeth came to me. I gave him a message but he never passed it on for me. One day since Hoid talked to me. He never thought that I could mess with his stored memories. Just now it occurred to me, it's gonna be three years till the fans learn what that means!

Do we have enough information in Rhythm of War to establish a chronology of events? Particularly interested in the timeline of Dalinar's subplot. How much time passed from leaving Urithiru to Taravangian's betrayal, the big battle, finding out about what had happened in Urithiru, the visit to Ishar, Taravangian's fateful final meeting with Odium, etc.

I think this is the true answer. Brandon has been known to troll fans before.

Have fun speculating on the other books that come out during that time. It's not like there won't be any!

As biologists put it, "the does makes the poison."

"I control all things that can be grown, nurtured. That includes the thorns." The various Intents appear to be without inherent moral value. The "good god" Preservation expressed his admiration for how well the Lord Ruler had been preserved and lived for so long, caring more for this than for his centuries of atrocities, while the "evil" Ruin was necessary to enable Preservation create life. Likewise, Taravangian managed to pick up the shard of Odium by being strongly in tune with it when he was at his most compassionate, and the power of Honor that remains in the Stormfather blinds him to the possibility of it being wrong to keep bad promises. (No such thing as a bad oath? Yeaaaaahhh, no.) All of the Shards seem to be unbalanced in some way or another. Some of their Intents are more noble than others, but even the best traits, taken to extremes, become harmful.

Oh hey, I know that one!

Brandon proceeds to point him to The Sword of Truth.

No. The Rhythm produced by the combination of their power is War. Would a person who picks up Honor and Cultivation become the god of Towers?

A bunch of people are saying Taravodium will be somehow less bad than Rayse. I don't agree. You don't cast a character in the role of Satan if they're intended to be a good influence on the world. Not to mention the foreshadowing we got from this book's Letter, where Sazed says that having Rayse get replaced by someone who the power is a better fit for would be the worst-case scenario!

Or something very right. We've got a WoB saying that there's a reason that the Stormfather calls him "Child of Tanavast."

I know what would overturn a lot of expectations: failing to revive Maya in book 5. Because honestly, who here wasn't expecting that to happen in book 4? And then it didn't, but their kindasorta fledgling bond grew that much stronger, and now we all know it's going to happen in book 5. ...unless it doesn't, for whatever reason.

Nope. Read page 1190 carefully.

We kindasorta got a bit of a resolution in this, where someone (Lirin?) mentioned that the new "plague" they'd been hearing about previously turned out to be a fairly mild disease afterall. (As mentioned above, it was the common cold, brought in by worldhoppers. This has been established by WoB for many years now.) I doubt it will turn out to be anything particularly significant in the 5th book; just a bit of background info. What would be truly interesting is if someone were to accidentally carry an Ashyn disease to another world!

Several years ago in a Q&A, Brandon said, Now we've got the body of another dead Vessel... and they have no idea. Everyone thinks it's the withered remains of Taravangian after Nightblood got through with him. There are indications that Renarin might have some clue as to what's really going on, though. Will we finally find out what's so "useful" about the body of a dead Vessel in book 5?

Have we been told that will be the initials of the next book or something?

...and that El lives through it. (Which is no longer a certain thing, even for Fused.) I would not be at all surprised to see that that's the title of Stormlight book 5, in fact. It just feels like the sort of thing Brandon would do.

Does Dalinar (or anyone other than Kaladin and possibly Hoid) actually know enough about Zahel to suspect he'd be a good candidate, though?

"Disrespectful" or no, I did notice that the quality of the story improved markedly when Brandon took over. Not necessarily the quality of the writing -- Brandon was still relatively inexperienced at this point -- but the downright maddening drumbeat of everything screwing up because nobody talks to each other about anything seemed to evaporate the second Brandon took the helm, and it was easily the best thing that happened to the series since Suddenly people were being effective and competent and actually getting stuff done, and I loved it! Call it disrespectful if you want, but Brandon improved the series by being an order of magnitude better at writing interpersonal relationships than Robert Jordan ever was.